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The Black Prism

(Lightbringer #1)

Brent Weeks (Goodreads Author)

4.24 · Rating details · 87,005 ratings · 4,184 reviews

Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live.

When Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's wil ...more

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Hardcover, 629 pages

Published August 25th 2010 by Orbit (first published 2010)

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Jul 29, 2016 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Update: It's a bit sad (but not really surprising) that I have to defend my position after giving multiple examples especially after plenty of other people have come forward and agreed.

I'm not going to argue with people who haven't read the book (seriously?). There's a huge difference between a sexist world/character and a sexist author.

An author is able to create a fantasy world with a different map, magic system, religion but can't help himself and has to respect the st ...more

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C.C. Miranda Mixed race female here. I have zero problem with the way he wrote about women. Then again I am bisexual and also attracted to women. I also have issue Mixed race female here. I have zero problem with the way he wrote about women. Then again I am bisexual and also attracted to women. I also have issues with the way I look, even though people constantly call be pretty, beautiful, etc...I can find a 100 flaws to negate every compliment. I know plenty of "badass fighters " who are insecure about their manly shoulders. Physically strong people have insecurities too!

The Kip line had me cracking up. Oh look, a male character who is insecure about his looks too, just like every teenager out there! That part about him falling into someone's cleavage reminded me of the time that happened to me in Vegas when a porn star yanked open a door I was trying to open from the other side...I swear I almost died in there!

As far as the author's writing, I would much rather the author take the time to describe the way a character looks, and if you read the book, they were usually described through the viewpoint of one of the characters, i.e. How a 15 year old boy say a person or how the main characters (who is very flawed, or in love with the one) saw them, then to have zero description what so ever. So when the book is at the parts where it is being told from Kip's experiences, you are going to get descriptions of people that focus more on what/how a 15 y/o boy thinks, which are usually focused on boobs when it comes to women. And from what I understand of most men regardless of age, they never quite outgrow that fascination. I can't say as I blame them one bit when presented with a nice pair, I am going to take a moment to look. Hell, I know and have over heard plenty of straight women who will comment on another woman's breasts. And don't act like you don't judge people based on how they look either. You know darned well you do, and that includes their boobs.

I really hate when people get all feminatzi about a book, particularly one as well written as this one. Maybe focus more on figuring out the plot twists and intricacies of the story line and why it was written that way and worry less about finding lines to fuel your rage of hatred for men, you may find that you understand the actual story. ...more
Nov 09, 2019 06:50AM

Brenda Zalegowski I can’t believe there are so many people arguing with this person’s opinion of this book. Not everyone likes every book. We all have different tastes. ...more
Nov 09, 2019 06:54AM

Feb 18, 2016 Regan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

AMAZING

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Oct 22, 2016 Petrik rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-physical-books

4.5/5 stars

An incredibly original and entertaining start to a memorable high fantasy series.

The Black Prism, the first book in Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks, was one of my first forays into an adult high-fantasy novel. I can’t honestly say that I’ve been a devout follower of this series since its conception; The Black Prism was first published in 2010 and I started this series almost exactly three years ago, all the way back in October 2016; it was near the release date of the fourth book of the series: The Blood Mirror. Now that the fiseries.
The ...more

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Feb 25, 2016 Petros Triantafyllou rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Petros by: Ojo

You know you are reading a masterpiece when out of 95 chapters and 5 different POVs, not even one is slightly boring. I have heard a lot of things about Brent Weeks' second trilogy, and most of them have been proved true so far. He has grown up as an author, improving not only his prose and narration but his imagination as well.

"You might want to think twice before you try to use a man's conscience against him. It may turn out he doesn't have one."

The Black Prism is absolutely a work o/>"You ...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Andrew Obrigewitsch rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

This book is really tough for me to rate. The story is a flintlock fantasy. With some really brilliant ideas, a very interesting plot, cool magic system and great action.

"So what's wrong with it?" You may ask, other than the fact that the narrator made the main character sound like a surfer dude.

Well the problem with Brent Weeks' writing is that you feel like you are being told a story by a very creative and imaginative 15 year old boy, with no real life experience and not a lot of This book is really tough for me to rate. The story is a flintlock fantasy. With some really brilliant ideas, a very interesting plot, cool magic system and great action.

"So what's wrong with it?" You may ask, other than the fact that the narrator made the main character sound like a surfer dude.

Well the problem with Brent Weeks' writing is that you feel like you are being told a story by a very creative and imaginative 15 year old boy, with no real life experience and not a lot of study under his belt. The focus on sex is exactly how a 15 year old boy would focus on it. The more than necessary gore in battle scenes is exactly how a 15 year old boy would describe it. The cuss words thrown in at the most awkward places, just to sound cool, the use of teen slang, the way things are described with the focus on the most random things under the situation, for example the focus on womens' breasts in the middle of a battle scene and the way the characters think and act are all exactly how a 15 year old boy would describe it.

I can actually see how Weeks is a very successful fantasy writer as the majority of fantasy fans are males between the ages of 12-22. His books must really speak to them.

But unfortunately I'm a 33 your old male that's lived in other countries outside the U.S., had quite a bit of real life experience and I'm also very well read. I frankly find the way his characters act and the dialogue to be utterly ridiculous and childish. If he were to stop the pretense and admit he writes YA fiction I would not be so harsh and I would give this book 3 stars. Until Weeks does so I have to rate it with other adult books, his books just can't stand up.

Here is an example of the 15 year oldness of the story:

At one point the villain murders over a thousand people, but the hero and main female character are upset by the fact that the hero had a kid 15 years earlier, which means he cheated on her, as they where dating then (but broke up 15 years ago). I mean come on that's way more important then a bunch of innocent people laying dead all around you right? Or maybe in a combat zone you might be thinking of how you don't want to be spotted, as there may be enemies lurking around to find any survivors? Or maybe you might be so disgusted at the over 1,000 decapitated courses, that you can't think of anything else? If you have a 15 year olds mindset and have never seen a dead body, then you might think an over decade old love interest was more important than all these things.

Another example is how Weeks seems to discover a new word that he beats to death throughout the book with it's synonyms, in this one is was vomit. In one of his other books I read it was feces. I remember when I was 12 thinking it was funny to learn a new word that meant vomit too.

P. S. It was still 1,000 times better than Night Angel. But if you only read a few books a year, and are not a male between 12 and 22, go with something else. The Powder Mage Series is better, The Black Company by Glen Cook is far better, anything by Brandon Sanderson is better, and heck if you question wether a book is better or not ask me. ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 Dana Ilie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

This is a book that I would highly recommend due to its commitment to the pace and knowledge of further books to come. The Black Prism ends on a cliffhanger that sets up the next book quite well. I definitely look forward to returning to the colorful (so clever) world that Brent Weeks has created. The writing is good, the characters engaging and realistic, and the way magic is used is not only unique in its utilitarian application but also the variety of ways in which it is utilized.

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Jun 19, 2011 carol. rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Weeks fans, fans of epic fantasy

Recommended to carol. by: everybody

Shelves: fantasy, epic-fantasy, male-lead

Let's be honest; I've been dreading reading this. Why? Because The Night Angel Trilogy ended up a broken promise. Good beginning, steady decline in the quality of characterization and plotting, and, need I mention, a sexist hot mess? At any rate, Weeks seems to have been going for something different here, or at least something more developed--say perhaps, Epic--and it works much better.

Except it's so damn conscious of being epic that I roll my eyes just looking at it--that heft! The matte black cover! Th ...more

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Jun 10, 2017 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fantasy-all

Let me write a short review here and then do a side note.

I loved the characters of Kip and Gavin and a few others. I really want to continue on with their story and see where it goes. Especially when I read the part about Gavin and his brother. Uh, mind blown.

There was a part at the beginning of the book that just put me off (and don't ask) and I'm just getting irritated with stuff like that.

Soooooo many of my friends love these books and some are just okay with them. I do have the other curr ...more

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Oct 15, 2016 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: annoying-mc, dnf, 2016-reads, alternative-pov, fantasy, in-a-minority-here

Today we're going to talk about something that every reviewer lives at least once in its reading career, that I will call the Is It Too Early To Dnf Syndrome®.

That syndrome sucks big time.

1) Your ereader is failing you, and doesn't count the percentages anymore : don't get it back to the store yet! You're only bored. I know, it's tricky. Sanderson's fans might not show this symptom though : if you like long ass descriptions of how a magic system works, well lucky you, you may not meet boredom (yet).

2) There's n ...more

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Jun 18, 2019 Sean Barrs the Bookdragon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Brandon Sanderson fans

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed-for-fantasy-book-review, 4-star-reads

What Brent Weeks has painted here is nothing short of marvellous.

It’s a beautifully rich fantasy universe with an awe-inspiring amount of world-building and colour behind it. There’s just so much detail that truly brought the world to life for me.

The Black Prism has a fantastic magic system. I thought Brandon Sanderson was the only writer of fantasy who could create such cool and intricate systems. I was wrong. Brent Weeks’ system based on colour and light can match anything Sanderson has put together. And ...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fanboy-goes-squee, top-one-hundred, fantasy

Update 10/15/17
Re-Read with buddies!
This is one of my favorite epic fantasy series ever and upon re-reads, I'm hardly in a position to recant. Especially now. I'm still thrilled as hell. :)

I can't quite tell whether I love the magic system or the characters more. I absolutely love the smartass "Kip the lip" fat kid whiner turned badass, but it's Gavin Guile that really steals the show. Has there ever been such a complicated character in existence? Charming, devious, uber- Update 10/15/17
Re-Read with buddies!
This is one of my favorite epic fantasy series ever and upon re-reads, I'm hardly in a position to recant. Especially now. I'm still thrilled as hell. :)

I can't quite tell whether I love the magic system or the characters more. I absolutely love the smartass "Kip the lip" fat kid whiner turned badass, but it's Gavin Guile that really steals the show. Has there ever been such a complicated character in existence? Charming, devious, uber-powerful, totally evil and absolutely on the side of good all at once. What the hell is he? Ah, but I've read the whole series and I know it just gets better and better, but this first book is utterly kickass.

It's almost pure action, gorgeous colorful magic system, bigger-than-life characters, and best of all, it's probably one of the most fun books I've ever owned. I've raved about it to everyone I know. For good reason. :)

Still fantastic? You better believe it!

Original review:

I truly suspected that I'd fall head-over-heels for the new Brent Weeks trilogy, and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. If you are in the mood for a great and creative magic system in a very well thought out fantasy world that is so thoroughly steeped in action, melodrama, action, crazy mind-blowing characters, action, and color, then pick this damn book up immediately and thank your lucky stars you did. I'm a fanboy. I cannot wait until I pick up the second book. Oh wait, I have it in my hands and I'm typing this out with only one hand. Now I've put the book in my mouth so I can keep typing. This hurts, some, because the book is so wonderfully thick and if I ever thought that I might have been getting less than my money's worth, then I'm an idiot.
Did I mention this fantasy is a fast-paced action full of twists and gorgeous colors throughout? This novel is what happens when a novelist's imagination is much, much bigger than any hope that the story could ever be made into a movie or an anime and will give the reader all of the scope and power to vision it all in as much glory as he or she likes. And I liked, Oh, yes, I liked it a lot. It's different from most fantasy novels, although it may not seem so from these words; in that it allows magic to be big, heroes to be big, and then let them be bigger and more complex and even downright evil while being good at the core at the same time. That's as close to a spoiler as I'm going to get. You'll see within a few hundred pages what I'll mean by this, and then be surprised several more times, again.
My only complaint at this point will be in waiting for the third book, because it's not going to be long before I finish the Blinding Knife. Brent Weeks has done it again and ranks up there with my very favorite Fantasy novels of all time. :) ...more

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May 05, 2016 ☽Luna☾ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: great-books, badassery, favorites, epic-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book gets all the stars in the universe !

WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ

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It's hard to write a review when you have just been blown away. I'm still very emotional from book one because I loved it that much.
I must say books like this is why I love fantasy so much, I recommend this book to every single person who can read ! I am now Brent weeks new number one fan girl !

This book starts off extremely slow, I hated the start. I found the magic system complex and was confused to where this book was heading. After havREAD
[image ...more

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Nov 26, 2016 Celeste rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Well, Brent Weeks, you got me. You sucked me in to your polychromatic world, and now I’m going to have to read everything else you’ve written. The Black Prism is the first book in the Lightbringer series, an epic fantasy series with a color-based magic system. There was a truly varied and interesting cast of characters: Kip, a chubby, awkward teenager who has always been a bit of an outcast; Gavin Guile, the Prism and the Most Interesting Man in the World; and Karris, Gavin’s smoking hot bodyguard wi Well, Brent Weeks, you got me. You sucked me in to your polychromatic world, and now I’m going to have to read everything else you’ve written. The Black Prism is the first book in the Lightbringer series, an epic fantasy series with a color-based magic system. There was a truly varied and interesting cast of characters: Kip, a chubby, awkward teenager who has always been a bit of an outcast; Gavin Guile, the Prism and the Most Interesting Man in the World; and Karris, Gavin’s smoking hot bodyguard with mad skills and a bruised heart. There’s also a misguided student who has Kip drooling over her, a retired general, another Blackguard bodyguard who is as funny as he is immense, and a mysterious prisoner who is cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

The characters made this story for me. I felt so much sympathy for poor, awkward Kip, but he also made me laugh and surprised me with his bravery. Gavin is just about one of the most attractive men I’ve ever read. He’s got sass and personality and kindness and determination oozing from his pores. Ironfist and Karris and Corvan were all fantastic, as well. Weeks did a great job crafting characters that I cared about. Also, I really appreciated that Weeks made warrior women so prevalent in his Blackguard and throughout his world that his central female-warrior character didn’t stand out just because she was a woman who could fight; she stood out because she was fierce and beautiful and was simply better and badder than many of her compatriots. That’s feminism, right there.

The magic system in this book was really unique. When I first started reading, the magic seemed kind of cheesy to me, to be honest. Color doesn’t seem like the most brutal basis for magic, does it? But I was wrong! The differences between the luxin of each color, and the different personality traits exhibited by each color’s drafters, were really intriguing. And getting into the differences between monochromes, bichromes, polychromes, and a Prism gives a reader a lot of food for thought. Also, Big Jasper, the island-city that is home to the Chromeria school, sounds absolutely gorgeous. I think that Heaven might look a bit like Big Jasper.

All in all, this was a fantastic read. It is definitely not a stand-alone, though. Should you choose to read it, make sure you have access to the second volume. Because the end of the book definitely leaves you hanging. One of the few things I dislike about fantasy is the plethora of cliffhangers that dominates the genre, but that just means that there’s more for me to read! Overall, I would give this a 4.5 out of 5, and will round that up to 5 stars here on Goodreads. A fantastic start to what I hope will be a fantastic series. ...more

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Dec 13, 2010 Crys Harris rated it liked it

I am just less than half way through this book and I am not enjoying it. The writing is fine. In fact, Brent Weeks may have developed a bit more dexterity with his prose since the Night Angel trilogy. The problem, so far, is two-fold.

1) Nothing much is happening. I'm not intrigued, drawn in, excited, or even really interested. There is political intrigue at work, but it isn't compelling. There is magic afoot, but it is hard to be in awe of it. I don't even care where this is headed.

...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Dana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: magic, fantasy-historical, fantasy-scifi, favorites, fantasy-epic

FrEEEEEk-in' fantastic!!! This is really all that must be said, but of course I will say more. Many people that review this book will take the time to recap the plot and give you some character intros, so I am taking the lazy man's road and skipping anything remotely informative about the book itself in my review.

Instead, I will tell of how I felt throughout the book. One of the main objectives in reading is to think and feel something, right? A good book will make you think in circles o FrEEEEEk-in' fantastic!!! This is really all that must be said, but of course I will say more. Many people that review this book will take the time to recap the plot and give you some character intros, so I am taking the lazy man's road and skipping anything remotely informative about the book itself in my review.

Instead, I will tell of how I felt throughout the book. One of the main objectives in reading is to think and feel something, right? A good book will make you think in circles of confusion or starbursts of inspiration. The Black Prism had me thinking and feeling to such extremes that medication was called for; valium, lithium, and aspirin in turn.

I had a love/hate, bipolar friendship with so many characters in this book that I would have finished it out of self defense even if it had been 1800+ pages. You don't purely love (or hate) real people, and the best book characters are the same. Gavin, Dazen, Karris, Liv, and especially Kip himself, had me either disgusted with one of their choices, or cheering for them like a fool.

* My only real complaint was that the 'simple-minded Kip' thing recieved one or two references too many. It bordered on annoying right before it stopped.*

The best thing to be said of this book is about the ending. This was one the the most inspired, creative, and HOLY $h!t!!! endings to a story that I have read in quite some time. Some authors con, wheedle, or seduce you at the end with just enough of the cliffhanger aspect to get you to pick up the next book. Good ol' Brent black-jacked me in the side of the head with the substantial weight of the hardcover of this book, kicked me in the ribs while I was down, and then jumped atop me and bellowed in my face, "You will buy the next installment of The Lightbringer Series, or suffer my wrath!"

**Warning: If you find that the sci-fi-ish basis for the luxin concept is confusing to you, you have only yourself to blame because you didn't listen to your chemistry teacher in high school. The premise of the magic in this world is really easy once you have read about 4 key pages out of a 100 level Chem book. Take the time to read it and you will feel like a genius! ;)**

On a side note:

I took some time and read a few of the reviews by others and I am really, Really, REALLY sick of everyone comparing this book to Weeks' Night Angel Trilogy! My friends, it is a new series; new characters, different flavor of writing, and in reality it is even a different sub-genre of fiction. Jeesh! If you liked Night Angel so much, read that again. Don't deduct stars just because it wasn't Night Angel. I'm almost sure you were aware of that when you read 'The Black Prism' on the cover. :) ...more

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Sep 06, 2010 Felicia rated it liked it

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy

I DUNNNOOOOOO. First, I really enjoyed Brent Weeks' other series A LOT, so I was excited about this coming out, and seeing the blurb about the magic system, I was sooo psyched.

I feel like this series was kinda a throwback to like Eddings and Feist and Jordan and those old-school EPIC fantasy series. I have to admit I wasn't really hooked by the characters as much as I would have liked, but overall I ADMIRE what the author is setting up. I guess my biggest beef, other than really not liking the ...more

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Jul 09, 2019 Merphy Napier rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, four-stars, adult

Here's my video review: https://youtu.be/zjPcwnh5ZeI

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Feb 06, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, epic-fantasy

I originally set the rating of this book at 4 stars, but decided it needed to be moved up to the 5 star level. I don't find it as good as many of the books I rate 5 stars, but it drew me in and held me tells a story that beats 4 stars. So, without the much lamented 4.5 that so many of us here pine for, I've rated it 5.

So, I like the book and give it the highest rating possible here (albeit noting it's not at the top of my 5 star pile)...what's so good about it? And, if it's not at th ...more

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Nov 18, 2016 Lema rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

Wow just wow... So many great fantasy novels I've been stumbling upon lately. I usually reserve the high expectations for any Brandon Sanderson novel, but I was amazed by the beauty and fluidity in Brian McClellan books, and now this evil genius Brent Weeks comes along... Sure, he needs to work on his description capabilities, since several of my friends and I had the exact same comments about the exact same parts then I doubt that we all lack the imagination. Other than that, pure evil genius..Brava!

Wow just wow... So many great fantasy novels I've been stumbling upon lately. I usually reserve the high expectations for any Brandon Sanderson novel, but I was amazed by the beauty and fluidity in Brian McClellan books, and now this evil genius Brent Weeks comes along... Sure, he needs to work on his description capabilities, since several of my friends and I had the exact same comments about the exact same parts then I doubt that we all lack the imagination. Other than that, pure evil genius..Brava!

So let's dissect this, first of all The PLOT :
Now that I think about it, I don't believe the synopsis here has done the real plot any justice (which is a mark of a successful synopsis for me since I HATE unnecessary plot reveals), Gavin Guile discovering that he has a bastard son is only a tiny fraction of the beginning of a highly complex, wide-reaching cascade of events. There is no clear quest and no clear villain to fight off, but everything was so fast-paced with so many little hells breaking loose all over, it'll just sucks you right in and never lets you go. Not to mention the plot twists..no no not plot twists, more like existential crises that makes you want to reread everything and revise your values.

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As for the WORLD BUILDING I kinda had a love/hate relationship with it the first part of the book because boy can Brent Weeks go on and on describing modes of transportation, bridges and walls that after finishing the first book still resemble shapeless blobs of color in my head.
Not to mention the sizable info dump that was thrust upon us, I was quite disoriented for like 200 pages and that was me basically..
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However, it was still enjoyable to read about the world in general because it was simply amazing. It oozes Assassin's Creed vibes, and I absolutely loved the whole concept of the Chromeria and Chromaturgy school setting, and I believe in that instance, the author has done an amazing job in describing the Jaspers isles.

Now to my favorite part... CHARACTERS: we have two main POVs:
Gavin Guile you sneaky bastard! you thoroughly stole my heart.
That guy is the epitome of a most interesting character, to put it briefly: he's a charismatic asshole, with a hidden agenda and a heart of gold. His personality is so layered that that I still feel like I know everything and nothing about him, and I can't wait to read more and find out about every dirty little secret he's hiding.

Kip at first he comes across as the lovable doofus and the comic relief of the series. I was ok with him at first and found him to be a hilarious version of Neville Longbottom. But again, as I read more about him and discovered more about his past I couldn't but love him and want to protect him at all cost. I actually liked how damaged he is, because usually we read about these protagonists who had a horrible upbringing but have this stellar generic personality with absolutely no scratches whatsoever..Not Kip no, and it was awesome reading about his journey fighting his demons.

We also have three minor POVs:
Karris: I just love her sections, typical independent ass-kicking woman in her thirties who takes shit from no one and least of all from Gavin. Her past is so turbulent adding more mystery to her and I feel her personality still have so much more room for future development.

The prisoner: Definitely the highlight of the book, I'll say no more other than make sure that you are not eating or drinking while reading these sections.

Liv: she's interesting, and I really sympathize with her and appreciate the inner-conflicts she's going through. No feels avalanche though..yet.

Of course there are many other minor characters that are the cherry on top of this mouthwatering cake, like Ironfist: the blackguard commander, and Corvan Danavis: the brilliant general in exile and Liv's father.

In conclusion, amazing characters, unique world and magical system, hilarious conversations, heart-wrenching scenes, mystery, secrets, intrigue, dark pasts, slow start but absolutely totally WORTH IT!

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...more

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Jul 23, 2019 Kaitlin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a re-read for me, but I am oh so happy to be back in this world which I first encountered in 2015. As the series draws to its close (book #5 is due out later this year) I decided to do a #LightbringerSeriesReread to re-familiarise myself with the world, characters and magic. It turns out I still remembered the majority of the magic, and yet going back to the series I found it so much easier from the start to actually 'get' what was happening because I had that bit more familiarity. I thi This is a re-read for me, but I am oh so happy to be back in this world which I first encountered in 2015. As the series draws to its close (book #5 is due out later this year) I decided to do a #LightbringerSeriesReread to re-familiarise myself with the world, characters and magic. It turns out I still remembered the majority of the magic, and yet going back to the series I found it so much easier from the start to actually 'get' what was happening because I had that bit more familiarity. I think at first this series throws you in at the deep end, but once you get to know what's what you start to understand the differences in the magic and see the start of the alliances and politics which later come into play.

I had forgotten exactly what point certain things got revealed in this series, and it turns out that some of the biggest things happen right in book #1 where I was happy to rediscover the same amazement and awe at the brashness and bold defiance of some of these characters. I still felt like Kip was a bit of a wuss to start out, but I know there is a lot of growing to be done over the course of the books, and I look forward to following his adventure.

Karys (spellings may be wrong as I audiobooked) is one of the characters I liked the most in book #1 as she is feisty and doesn't take anything from anyone. She's not afraid to slap the Prism or defy gender stereotypes and she does so with style. I still think her plotline works really well as a counter to some of the others, and I am glad we get to see her inner emotions as a viewpoint.

I think Liv is a character who I like at first, but as the book goes further her ideals started to bother me a little more and I remembered her a little more fondly than I now think of her. She's certainly not a character who I would have thought had as much involvement when thinking back, but actually in this story she is very much central to seeing how Kip's storyline develops.

Kip and Gavin are super powerful and both have the wit and snark which I remember this book for. They have charisma and charm and they can work their way out of crazy situations, but they also have a knack for getting into terrible situations. I must admit to liking both, but finding both so silly too :D

I enjoyed seeing Corbin and Ironfist a little in this plot as they feel like more minor characters but they have a major impact on our main characters quite often. I really enjoyed their stories and the way that they were integrated.

Overall, the pacing and plot were fantastic and I definitely felt like there was a lot to love about this series on the re-read. It's definitely a series I 100% recommend and as long as you're prepared to learn a new magic system and wrap your head around politics and lots of characters then I think you will love it. 5*s on the re-read. ...more

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Feb 03, 2018 Deborah Obida rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, adult

This book is so slow at the beginning, almost nothing happened for the first 200 pages, before things picked up and revelations started blowing my mind. I didn’t like the way the author explains the magic system, when you’re reading a very interesting part of the book and one of the characters starts drafting(i.e the magic), the author will stop the dialogue and start explaining the magic, that was done throughout the book, I still don’t know the limits of the magic. The battle scenes in this bo This book is so slow at the beginning, almost nothing happened for the first 200 pages, before things picked up and revelations started blowing my mind. I didn’t like the way the author explains the magic system, when you’re reading a very interesting part of the book and one of the characters starts drafting(i.e the magic), the author will stop the dialogue and start explaining the magic, that was done throughout the book, I still don’t know the limits of the magic. The battle scenes in this book are astounding, I love even single one of them, especially that of Karris.

Magic System
This is very complex, its a bit complex than that of Brandon Sanderson, it was not well explained which made some parts quite confusing, I understand most parts of how the magic works apart from the transportation, that part is still unclear to me. The magic is use for everything, buildings, clothings' weapons and transportation. The magic caste is divided into four, someone that can draft one colour is known as a monochrome, two biochrome, three polychrome and all seven colours a Prism. Colours are used for magic like Biochroma in Warbreaker but colours are used more here.

World building and Writing
The author did an amazing job with the world, especially the Chrometia, I really like the way the author depicted that, Garriston, Rekton and the rest are not bad either. The book is written in third person multiple POVs of very interesting characters, its comprehensible with amazing dialogues.

Characters
The Guile brothers: Gavin Guile is the emperor and priest of the seven Satraps, he is also a Prism, he had ruled for 16 years so far and is almost at the end of his reign. Gavin is quite a jovial guy, knows his way with politics and battles. Dazen is Gavin’s younger brother, and also the better brother in my opinion, despite his past.

Kip is a 15 year old, whose life got turned upside down after a major revelation and an ordeal. Even at that he still weathered it and came out a stronger and better person. Kip has a very low self esteem partly cause he is fat and also cause of his mother.

Karris is the badass female character, despite her being 32, everyone talks about her beautiful she is, I love her so much. She is neither bitchy nor annoying, she is confident without being rude and kind.

Liv, I loathe her, I want her to just die, from the first time she was introduced in the book, I knew she was going to be a problem, just another self righteous, know it all bitch. ...more

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Aug 27, 2012 David Sven rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favourites, flintlock-fantasy

Well paced. Deceptively complex plot, characters and history. Unique and well defined magic system. Intriguing mysteries to be solved. Rewards those who pay attention to detail, which also gives it reread value to catch those details that were skimmed or dismissed the first time round. Held my attention. Surprised me quite a few times. Thoroughly enjoyable.

The magic system in this book, called Chromaturgy, is second to nothing I’ve read to date – and that includes Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy, w Well paced. Deceptively complex plot, characters and history. Unique and well defined magic system. Intriguing mysteries to be solved. Rewards those who pay attention to detail, which also gives it reread value to catch those details that were skimmed or dismissed the first time round. Held my attention. Surprised me quite a few times. Thoroughly enjoyable.

The magic system in this book, called Chromaturgy, is second to nothing I’ve read to date – and that includes Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy, which I thought was the Bomb as far as magic systems go. Chromaturgy involves the harnessing of light energy and converting it to matter, a substance called Luxin, which manifests in different forms depending on what colour you “draft.” Interesting combinations can be used in constructing building materials or for combat for devastating effect.

Most “drafters” are “Monochromes” ie born with the ability to draft a specific colour, some can draft two colours (Bichromes) and rarer again are those who can draft several colours (Polychromes). Each colour also has an associated personality trait/attribute which manifests while drafting eg Red = anger, blue=cool logic, yellow =clarity of thought etc. Only one person has the ability to draft every colour – The Prism.

Having recently read Sanderson’s Mistborn, the comparison of the two magic systems seems inevitable given that there are some striking similarities between Chromaturgy and Allomancy. Chromaturgy uses a spectrum of 7 colours and uses light to fuel its magic – while Mistborn’s Allomancy uses 14(+2 unknown) metals to fuel its magic users. Both systems have well defined rules and limitations eg with Chromaturgy, drafting light will eventually send the drafter insane (referred to as “breaking the halo”) turning them into a “colour wight.” Drafter’s who “break the halo” are euthanized. But whereas Sanderson meticulously lays out the rules through the narration using constant repetition, Weeks allows the reader to discover the various rules and applications of Chromaturgy through inference from the action, and dialogue, which I think is a lot more fun. So which is better? I’m undecided as yet.

Religion plays a large role in the book as well and I found the Theology and how it ties into the magic system and politics quite interesting. The Satrapies worship the god Orholom as part of a monotheistic religion. So there are a lot of similarities and parallels to Catholicism. The Prism is like the Pope(albeit not a very believing one). They have a parallel to the sign of the cross but involving seven parts instead of three. Detractors are referred to as pagans or worshipping pagan gods. The major plot element involving Gavin and Dazen also has parallels to the Biblical story of (view spoiler) I'm not sure if it was deliberate, but the similarities are so striking I found it hard to ignore. Especially when once I saw it I started seeing a lot of other religious parallels clicking into place and it really added to the depth of the world building.

The story takes place in “The Seven Satrapies” seven countries ruled from the Chromeria by a council called “The Spectrum” which is headed by “The White” with “The Prism,” Gavin Guile as the figurehead Head of state. As the story unfolds we learn the history of the Seven Satrapies, the politics and intrigue of the court, and a dark secret kept for sixteen years by the reigning Prism. A secret so damning that if discovered, Gavin Guile could upset a delicate balance that has kept the realm at an uneasy peace since he deposed his brother Dazen Guile in The False Prism War. The politics and intrigue and twists just keep coming as we slowly unravel the truth about the past and what really happened at the famous battle of Sundered Rock.

The story ends well – or as well as a “to be continued” can. We are left with a mystery and with a sense of foreboding that things are about to change drastically for our Prism. The book left me thinking on the various elements when I was finished. Even the title of the book left me with the question, What or who is “The Black Prism” referring to? Is it a false Prism? Or an evil Prism? Or a morally flawed Prism? Or a dark skinned Prism? Its that sort of cryptic approach to the story that really adds to the enjoyment.

I’d like to give this a 7 for the 7 colours – but goodreads only has 5 stars. I will be most definitely continuing the series with The Blinding Knife
...more

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Sep 13, 2019 Jody rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"Light cannot be chained."

To say the Lightbringer series has been on my TBR list for a while would be a huge understatement. A few months ago I noticed the last book in the series was coming out this year, and I knew it was time to finally delve into this once and for all.

The setting of this story is a land called The Seven Satrapies. A satrapy is basically a province that is governed by a person known as a satrap. The Chromeria is the ruling body of the Seven Satrapies, and also where all of the drafters, magi ...more

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Aug 16, 2016 Choko rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: brent-weeks, advanture, fantasy

*** 4.85 ***

A buddy read with Eon and Sarah La Luna @ the Mecca for Fantasy on GR, BB&B!!!

Epic! Not just the genre of Fantasy, but the book itself - EPIC!!! Brent Weeks has taken the torch of Epic Fantasy with some traditional leanings and is finding his way into our hearts and Favorites Book Shelves.... I am in awe of the magical system BW has chosen to base this World on and am fascinated by the different cultures and how their ethnological and physical differences are conduci *** 4.85 ***

A buddy read with Eon and Sarah La Luna @ the Mecca for Fantasy on GR, BB&B!!!

Epic! Not just the genre of Fantasy, but the book itself - EPIC!!! Brent Weeks has taken the torch of Epic Fantasy with some traditional leanings and is finding his way into our hearts and Favorites Book Shelves.... I am in awe of the magical system BW has chosen to base this World on and am fascinated by the different cultures and how their ethnological and physical differences are conducive to one aspect of the magic or another.... One thing is obvious - Brent Weeks is setting up the stage for a grand adventure, a story for the ages, a major battle of Good, Evil, and all those many hews in between...

Chromeria. It is the land of 7 Satrupies/States, governed by satrups, all under the umbrella of Chromeria and its ruling body of 7 Colors drafters, a Black, a White, and the highest placed, kind of like an Emperor - The Prism. At this time The Prism is Gavin Guile and he can draft all the Colors in the rainbow. You see, in this world the magic is based on light and the way it makes the eye perceive it and then translate it into colors. Those who have been born with the ability to take in the light of any color and pull it into their body cells, then learn how to shape the byproduct, luxin, into some useful form, those are the Drafters, the magicians of their world. They are blessed, live well, fast, and early on succumb to madness and death... Everyone knows the score, the whole system has been shaped to accommodate those limitations. Each generation there is only one Prism born, the person who brings balance to the Color-system Magic and the defacto Pope and Emperor... Or at least, there SHOULD be only one, until Gavin and his brother, Dazen Guile. And with them came the War of the Prisms....

The magic system is intricate and complex, but it is amazing, especially once you get used to the character of the different colors and the way the magic can be drafted and utilized. The characters are introduced as the action builds and by the end, when things are hectic and nerve wracking, we know and already root for the ones we get to know best - Gavin, the lady he is crazy about Karris, and Kip, the chubby, hormone riddled, clumsy, awkward, and extremely inappropriate teenager with a Haze addict for a mother, and a father he just learns about, who is lost, has lost everything he has known, and now is absolutely confused as to what he is supposed to do, learn or be from now on.... Yes, Kip is the typical young man of the Classical Fantasy Genre, on his requisite journey to discover himself and fight to be as good as he can be, while fighting temptation and the darkness within. It is a cliche, yes, but it is THE cliche we keep coming back for time and again, craving for one more time, at least in Fantasy, for the good guys to learn their lessons and come back on top. This is why we read this genre, isn't it???

"... Kip had made his oaths to the living and to the dead. He gritted his teeth, sure he was making the wrong decision—and making it anyway. It’s better that the innocent should live than that the guilty die....

It is all about choices, guilt, and secrets. It is GLORIOUS!

I will recommend this to all the Fantasy fans. The beginning is a bit slow, until you get used to the complex magic system, but after that it is all easy sailing, so don't give up on it, it is sooooo worth it! And as a person who has had extensive color theory at school, I can only say that if such drafting was possible, this would be as close to the characteristics of the colors as it could get! Fascinating, engaging and filled with action - what more can you ask for???

I wish you all Happy Reading and may you never stop believing in the fantastical!!!! ...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Mpauli rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: orga_read-in-2014, genre_epic-fantasy, genre_flintlock-fantasy, rating_2-stars, genre_fantasy

The Black Prism is the first installment in Brent Weeks' second series called Lightbringer. It's an Epic Fantasy with some of the typical ingredients you would expect, but all is kind of twisted to the author's unique style and your enjoyment of the book will highly depend on how much that style works for you.

In total we're following 7 characters, 2 of them being the main protagonists, 2 with a decent amount of "screen-time" and 3 with only a few chapters.
The first of the two m ...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Eon ♒Windrunner♒ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

BB&B reread time with Sarah & Choko. Good times!

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Apr 11, 2017 Dawnie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2017

Wonderfully enjoyable writing, a bit extremely light on the explanation side of things.

I can defiantly see why so many people love this as much as they say they do!

As already said, the writing is wonderful. its so easy to read and fast to get through which makes you fly through all those pages and not even notice how many there were.

The characters are mostly pretty well done as well, i really enjoy the main character and prism gavin, he is a wonderfully done character with all thos ...more

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Feb 17, 2018 Zoe Stewart (yerabooknerdzoe) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: default

I'm in love with this book. No seriously. The magic used isn't something I've ever seen before, and while I've seen some reviews saying it's hard to follow exactly how the magic is used and the idea behind it, I found it easy enough to follow. That, and there's an appendix at the back explaining everything. Some of the characters annoyed me at times, but it wasn't enough for me to lower my rating. This book is absolutely massive which is a bonus for me! I'm so excited to start the next one!

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Oct 27, 2018 Natalie Monroe rated it it was ok

Shelves: he-s-so-bad-but-he-does-it-so-well, slut-shaming, when-sparks-don-t-fly, derp-moments, feminist-but-not-really

2.5 stars

Thesis and PhD applications are taking turns driving me in an early grave, so in lieu of a proper review, here are a random assortment of thoughts from the mind that brought you Cynical Natalie and Nice Natalie.

(P.S. They’re still alive. Nice Natalie is knitting booties in preparations for Christmas, and Cynical Natalie is stockpiling coal as projectiles)

✨Kip reminds me of Samwell Tarly, if Sam had a penchant for bad jokes at inopportune moments
✨”Locke opened his mouth to say something ill-advised” from Scott L ...more

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Apr 14, 2018 Emily rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, a-own-it, fantasy

Just reread this and feel the same way as my original review. I love this series
______
It's been a long time since I've fallen in love with a series. Sure, there's been lots of books I've enjoyed, but this one sucked me in from the very beginning. All of the characters are fantastic - I especially love Gavin (but everyone was interesting). Usually female characters in fantasy are annoying, but Karris and Liv are both multifaceted and realistic. I loved that at times I didn't know who was a ...more

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About Brent Weeks

Brent Weeks

17,450 followers

Brent Weeks was born and raised in Montana. After getting his paper keys from Hillsdale College, Brent had brief stints walking the earth like Caine from Kung Fu, tending bar, and corrupting the youth. (Not at the same time.) He started writing on bar napkins, then on lesson plans, then full time. Eventually, someone paid him for it. Brent lives in Oregon with his wife, Kristi. He doesn’t own cats ...more